Wild Nature
by Eyrmia
Summary: What happens when Miko pushes a little red button on one of the newest Iacon relics? Complete transformation, that's what! How will Team Prime (and the Decepticon high command) handle being wolves? Scars of Time AU; Season 3; Rated T for Future Chapters
1. Transformation

**Okay, this was originally just a little drabble I did to go with a pic I drew (colored pic will be up soon on my DA account), and it grew into so much more. XD So basically, this is the TFP characters as wolves. It is set in season 3. The humans were turned into wolves as well, and Predaking is a larger wolf with spiky fur and feathered dragon wings, and Laserbeak is a miniature wolf.**

**This is what happens when Miko presses big red buttons that are sitting on Ratchet's desk. ^^**

**Another thing: this is kind of an AU of my current main story, Scars of Time. So that's why Ratchet has wings. *grins***

* * *

"Slaggit!" Ratchet growled as he snatched his servo away from the most-recently found Iacon relic. It had burned him...again. He sighed and stalked out of the room to the wash racks to run his digit beneath the cold water.

All of Team Prime was resting at the Base, as well as the humans, with the exception of Agent Fowler. The Decepticons seemed to be taking a day off as well, which Ratchet was thankful for. They all needed time to rest and recuperate.

Meanwhile, Miko had been watching the medic work. As always, her curiosity got the better of her as she scampered up to the device. What did it do? How did it work? Questions burned in her mind as she stared at it. Suddenly she noticed a small protrusion from the device, near the bottom. It was so small it was no wonder Ratchet had missed it. The human girl knelt down beside the protrusion and saw it was a button - a big, red, enticing button.

Without a second thought, she pressed it.

I bright light flashed through the Base, causing everyone to duck their heads and shut their optics/eyes in pain. Various cries of "Help!", "What's going on?", and "Miko, what did you do this time?" were heard, but none were answered.

The last thing Miko felt was a sense of transformation, before all her senses went numb, and she blacked out.

* * *

"Uh..." Raf groaned and opened his eyes. All around him he could see grass, sunlight, and...dogs? He leapt to his feet – er – paws, and swung his head from side to side, taking in everything that was happening. He counted eleven shapes in the grass, plus himself made twelve dogs. No, they weren't dogs, they were...wolves?

One of the shapes next to him shifted and opened its eyes, which were a honey-brown sort of color. The wolf was black, blue, and pink? Since when were wolves such colors? This day kept getting stranger and stranger.

The wolf who had awoken yelped in fear and scrambled backwards, eyes wide and ears flattened to its head. Raf noticed that she was also kind of small for a wolf. She wasn't a pup, but more like a yearling, or a teenager. Raf, however, seemed to smaller than her. He had a bit of a stumpy muzzle and smaller ears, but he wasn't extremely young.

There were two other wolves in the grass next to them. They looked like they could be related. One was another yearling with brown, black, and blue fur, while the other was an adult with black, light blue, and tan fur.

"Who are you?" Raf's attention was directed back at the other yearling when she spoke, voice trembling. Nonetheless, he recognized that voice. "Miko?"

"How do you know my name?" She was hysterical now. Raf approached her and pushed his nose into her shoulder fur in comfort. "It's me, Raf!" he said. That stopped her in her tracks. She glanced down at him, then grinned and grabbed him in a crushing hug.

"Raf!" she howled happily. Said wolf was surprised at how quickly her mood changed. She went from petrified to ecstatic in about two seconds. That could be a record!

When she finally let him go, Raf gestured to the other two masses. "I'm guessing those are Nurse Darby and Jack," he said, earning a nod from Miko. "Looks like 'em." She turned to Raf and looked him over. "Dude, your fur is still really spiky, like your hair! It's brown, orange, and blue." Raf glanced down at his fur and nodded. Apparently whatever clothes they had worn that day had carried over to their...new forms.

* * *

Farther away, the rest of the team (with the exception of Ratchet, who was Primus-knows-where in the field) lay in a heap.

Ultra Magnus was curled up, with his head in his paws and his tail curled over his nose. Optimus was not too far away, in the same position. Bulkhead lay in an awkward position, with each of his front paws splayed on either side of him and his head resting on the ground. Smokescreen and Bumblebee were in a pile; Bumblebee was practically being squashed by Smokescreen laying across his back. But Wheeljack and Arcee were perhaps in the strangest position of all.

Wheeljack lay on his back in the grass, one hind leg up, with the other one resting on the ground. His forepaws were up above his head, and his tail was curled around the hind leg resting on the ground. Arcee's head was on the Wrecker's chest, and her chest lay on his stomach. Her hindquarters and belly were on the ground, though; and her right forepaw wrapped around Wheeljack's shoulder.

Unfortunately, Arcee was not happy to wake up like this. She leapt up and started batting at Wheeljack's head with her front paws, yelping and growling. She had just woken up in a strange place surrounded by strange creatures, and she had no intention of getting beaten in a fight.

Wheeljack sure had a rude awakening, though. He quickly threw Arcee off of him and backed away with a snarl on his face. "What in the Pit was that for?" he growled furiously. Arcee's sharp retort was cut off though as uncontrollable laughter floated around the two wolves. Wheeljack looked around and managed to pinpoint the origin of the noise: a young black, pink, and blue wolf with golden eyes.

"Your faces, they were hilarious!" she laughed. "C'mon Jackie, that was priceless!"

Wheeljack studied the youngling more. "Miko?" She nodded.

"Isn't this awesome? I mean, we're wolves now! This is so cool! I wonder what we'll eat! Will we have to hunt stuff? What do wolves eat, anyway? Raf told me they eat buffalo, elk, deer, moose, and other large game. But he made it sound like it's hard to catch. Great, now I'm hungry! Hey, I have a great idea! Let's go hunt! We can..."

Arcee rolled her eyes, then turned to Wheeljack. "Sorry about that." The Wrecker only shrugged. "You're fine."

As they looked around, Wheeljack found he could easily identify each member of the team. All the humans were awake by now: Jack, Raf, June, and Miko; but none of the 'Bots besides himself and Arcee seemed to be conscious.

Finally, it was decided that everyone would go and wake up one member at a time and explain what had happened (primarily Miko, since she had actually pressed the button).

Optimus and Magnus were the first who were awoken, with Miko nudging Bulkhead into consciousness not long after. While the others helped Smokescreen and Bumblebee, Wheeljack and Arcee trotted over to Ratchet, who looked to be in a precarious position.

He was in the lowest branch of a dead tree in the center of the field. One hind leg hung off the side of the branch, while the other was folded beneath him. His front paws were crossed into a comfortable pillow for his chin to rest on, where he seemed to be peacefully asleep.

What was most mind-boggling of all, however, was the fact that two large wings hung down on either side of him off of the branch. Now, Optimus had wings, but the rest of the team knew it was because of his jetpack enhancement. But Ratchet? Only a few 'Bots knew his secret; and that list did not include Arcee (although it did include poor Wheeljack, who was left to explain it all).

Arcee rose up on her hind legs and gently prodded Ratchet, who awoke with a start and fell sideways off of the branch. He landed in a pile of limbs, but quickly straightened himself out. Wheeljack grinned at his friend's trouble, but quickly plastered a neutral expression on his face when said friend glared at him.

"So...wings, huh?" Arceee said quizzically. "Never would have guessed."

Ratchet fixed his gaze on her. "You weren't meant to." Enough said. The trio made their way back to the rest of the team, most of which who stared at Ratchet in surprise, but he just grunted and made his way to the Prime's side. The only ones who didn't seem surprised at his extra set of limbs were Wheeljack, Ultra Magnus, and Optimus.

"Autobots, it is clear that we have been faced with a new challenge, but we must face it just as we have those in the past. We will analyze the situation and decide the best course of action. But first, we must determine if the Decepticons or any other humans were transferred here with us. We will separate into teams of three." He nodded to the Autobots. "Each human must be accompanied by an Autobot. Bulkhead, Wheeljack, and Miko will be one team. Bumblebee, Rafael, and Smokescreen will be another team. Arcee, Ratchet, and June will be next. Jack and Ultra Magnus will stay with me. We will regroup here at sunset to discuss what we found. If you require backup, I have knowledge that wolves will howl to alert their team mates." With that he headed east, toward the open plains. Jack and Ultra Magnus followed not too far behind.

Wheeljack's group turned north, towards the dark forest. Bumblebee's group went towards the lake, which was west. Arcee's team went south, in the direction of the mountains and scraggly cliffs.

* * *

"Hurry up, Starscream! We do not have much time to lose!" snarled Megatron as he struggled up the rocky cliffs. Knockout hauled himself up beside him, with Shockwave close on his heels. Starscream, however, was still halfway down the cliff, attempting to drag himself up. Unfortunately, the new wings he had acquired were causing him trouble. How in the Pit did you fold the slagging things? He didn't understand how Megatron or Soundwave had managed to get the hang of it right away, and of course Knockout couldn't help him because he didn't have wings!

How had this even happened anyway? One moment, the Decepticon SIC had been minding his own business (which in 'Scream, means plotting to usurp Megatron...again), when a bright light had flashed across his sensors and temporarily blinded him. He blacked out, and the next thing he knew, he was waking up to grass tickling his nose in an extremely annoying fashion.

This was going to be a long day.

* * *

**AN: So how was it? This was just a little idea that popped into my head. I'll be publishing ref pics for all the characters on my DA as soon as I re-download PhotoShop on my computer and complete sketches.**

**Oh, and the beam managed to reach the 'Cons because it seeks out Cybertronian energy signatures on a planet-wide scale and transforms those, while simultaneously constructing an aura around them that also transforms anything in that radius (the aura varies randomly). It detected the Nemesis and therefore transformed the 'Cons, but it can only transform truly sentient beings (sorry Steve), so the drones, Insecticons, and all the tech stayed the same, even though they cast an aura (but who cares if some random birdy gets changed into a wolf?). Oh, and it chooses a random animal, which happened to be a wolf this time. ^^ If you have any more specific questions feel free to PM me about it.**

**If you're wondering about the wings, I gave Megatron and Soundwave wings because they can still fly. Apparently they're in some kind of alternate dimension where it's normal for wolves to be strangely colored and have wings. XD I have the greatest logic.**

**And since my fanfic hasn't exactly explained Ratchet's wings yet, I'll give you a quick run-through:**

**Ratchet was originally a Seeker. He lived in Vos with his family. He grew up and blah blah blah...He started out as a Decepticon with his cousin and younger brother, and terminated the younger sister of one of his former best friends in a bout of rage. She had killed the Decepticon CMO while he was repairing a fallen soldier. Ratchet, his brothers, and his cousin have a kind of personality disorder things where one little thing will set them off. Basically, instead of the Synth-En being the main cause of Ratchet's green optics and increased, uh, warrior qualities (?) it was helped along by his disorder. Ratchet's trigger is extreme anger, so...yeah (it's kinda hard to explain XD).**

**Anyway, so his disorder was triggered when the CMO was killed so he killed the femme that did the deed, making an enemy out of his former best friend. Later, when Ratchet joined the Autobots, his friend still remembered that and still wanted revenge. He successfully accused Ratchet of a murder and Ratchet was sentenced to death. His "friend" was going to kill him, but started by removing his wings. Luckily, he was stopped by Wheeljack, Perceptor, and Firestar, even though he escaped with Ratchet's wings. Since wings are unique to each bot, and his wings were gone, Ratchet had to live the rest of life without wings.**

**But since the transformation apparently heals everything, Ratchey got his wings back! Yay!**

**Wow. O.O That was a long explanation. I tried not to spoil it for anyone. XD Well, please R&R. Thanks! If you have any ideas, feel free to tell me. Any advice? I'll take it! Constructive crit (emphasis on "constructive")? I'd be happy to listen!**


	2. Meetings

**AN: Next chapter is up! Just an FYI, I realized that I made a mistake in the author's note on chapter 1, so I fixed it. Also, I am currently traveling to Yellowstone National Park, so updates may be extremely slow. This goes for all stories. Enjoy!**

* * *

"Ugh..." groaned Miko. She, Bulkhead, and Wheeljack had surely been walking for _hours_ now, and they hadn't stopped once! She could tell that the other two were getting tired as well, so she finally decided to speak up.

"Can we stop?"

Wheeljack turned around and regarded her in surprise, then glanced at Bulkhead, who nodded his head wildly. Wheeljack rolled his eyes, then grinned at Miko.

"Sure, kid. We can rest for a while."

She smiled, then collapsed and curled up in a little ball, finally having a chance to rest her weary eyes. Bulkhead soon followed suit, curling up against her and burying his nose in his tail. Wheeljack leapt onto a nearby rock and sat down, keeping guard.

Miko was awoken by a rustling sound, which appeared to be coming from the bushes. She looked up at the rock, but it seemed Wheeljack had fallen asleep. Bulkhead was still asleep as well, so she decided to investigate.

As she padded closer to the bush, it stopped shaking. Before she could react, a small figure leapt out and landed on top of her, knocking her to the ground and pinning her there. Despite its size, the creature was remarkably strong. Miko realized it was a miniature wolf with tiny wings.

Behind the little wolf came a much, _much_ larger one. It's fur was spiked up, and it had huge dragon-like wings attached to its back. It's yellow eyes glared at her and it snarled in contempt. "Hello, _human_."

Miko regarded it carefully, then finally realized that it was Predaking! By now, Wheeljack and Bulkhead had awoken, and were standing defensively next to Miko, snarling at the creatures. Bulkhead had ripped Laserbeak off of his charge, and the smaller wolf was now perched on top of Predaking.

"Stop!"

Wheeljack whirled around to see a dark indigo wolf with a strong build glaring at him, the hatred in his eyes clear. It was Shockwave. Wheeljack's lips pulled back in a snarl and he crouched into a ready position, prepared to attack the Decepticon. Suddenly he spoke, "I believe it would be most beneficial to us if we collaborate while we are in this form."

Wheeljack raised his head, then gave a small nod. "Fine. But how do we know we can trust you?"

"You don't," Shockwave said, "But would it not be better to unite against whatever dangers may await us, especially when one of us may hold the key to returning to normal?"

"Of course," Bulkhead butted in. Wheeljack turned and glared at him, but Bulkhead merely shrugged his shoulders. "Face it, Jackie, if we don't team up with the 'Cons, we're gonna become scrapmetal – er – carrion." Wheeljack grunted. "Fine, whatever."

Shockwave gave a nod of approval. "Then let us continue on. Unless, of course, you wish to regroup with your fellow Autobots."

Miko narrowed her eyes. "We're gonna meet up. I think we need to keep an eye on you." Shockwave gave a rare grin, then nodded his head. "Proceed."

* * *

"Watch out!" Arcee yelped when June slipped, but Ratchet managed to catch her by the scruff and heave her up. She nodded her thanks, then continued on behind Arcee.

They were currently climbing up a mountain. They had tried to pick the most level trail, but the whole rock was much too steep. Arcee and June had bleeding paws because of all the sharp rocks, and Ratchet's wingbeats were getting slower and heavier as they became more and more sore from keeping him in the air for so long.

"Are we close yet, Ratchet?" Arcee prodded. Ratchet groaned, but flew ahead to see how much further they had to go. When he came back, he looked even wearier than before.

"I still couldn't see the top," he sighed. June hung her head, and Arcee shut her eyes in annoyance. "Alright."

They continued on for about an hour more, before June finally called for a rest. Ratchet gratefully collapsed under the shade of a pine tree that was growing in a small patch of grass, and Arcee splayed out next to him, enjoying the shade. June curled up on his other side and shut her eyes, falling asleep nearly immediately.

Soon, Ratchet could feel himself drifting off, but he didn't really care enough to keep himself awake. Arcee had began snoring lightly a long time ago, so he knew he should have stayed awake, but he was too exhausted to give a second thought.

"Well, well. What do we have here?" Megatron snarled as he watched the three Autobots. Knockout stood on his right, squinting at them, and Starscream cowered behind him, still trying to figure out his wings. Soundwave stood on Megatron's left, examining the wolves with a neutral expression, but Megatron could see in his eyes that he was worried and confused.

Suddenly the middle wolf, a white and orange one, opened his eyes and blearily looked up at them, before snarling and jumping to his paws, teeth bared and wings unfurled in a show of dominance. Megatron growled in warning and unfurled his own wings, which were much larger than the medic's.

"I would suggest you stand down, Autobot," he said as the other three Decepticons made themselves known. Arcee and June had woken up, and Arcee stood next to Ratchet, fur bristling, while June cowered behind him with fearful eyes.

"Not a chance!" Arcee scowled, eyes flashing with determination. Suddenly Megatron leapt forward and pinned her to the ground, while Knockout and Soundwave each grabbed one of Ratchet's wings and dragged him down, threatening to tear them if he didn't submit. Starscream approached June and snarled, and she bowed her head in a show of surrender. Megatron grinned, then turned to Arcee.

"Now, Autobot, where is your leader?"

"Like I would tell you!"

Megatron narrowed his eyes, but turned and faced Ratchet. "The Autobot medic, I presume? Wings...I seem to remember you, but honestly, I don't really care to. Now, will _you_ answer my question?"

Ratchet bit his lip and glared defiantly at the Decepticon leader, who snarled and swiped a paw across his muzzle, causing blood to well up. Megatron looked at the wound in surprise, while Ratchet shook his head and attempted to bury his nose in his paws, eyes stinging from the pain.

"Interesting, flesh creatures are even easier to harm than I realized," he mused. Then he turned to Soundwave. "Let them go."

"_What_?" Starscream yelped. "After _all_ this trouble, you're just going to let them _go_?"

Megatron spun around and faced Starscream with a snarl. "Just because we are organic beings now, Starscream, does not mean that you may now defy me! Do as I say!"

Starscream whimpered his understanding, then backed away and allowed June to limp out of their range. It was there that she waited for Ratchet and Arcee's release.

Soundwave let go of Ratchet's left wing, but Knockout gave a final jerk of his head before letting go, causing the Autobot to yelp at the sudden pain. When he was free, he turned and snapped at Knockout before trudging over to June's side.

Megatron raised his paws off of Arcee, and she scrambled away before he could bring them back down. Megatron smirked at her, then nodded to his lieutenants and leapt into the sky, Soundwave on his heels. Knockout glanced at Starscream, who shrugged, and then started walking in the direction Megatron had flown.

Ratchet snuck up behind Knockout and nipped at his hindquarters, causing the red and yellow wolf to yelp and bolt away. Ratchet smirked at his receding tail. "Revenge is oh so sweet," he growled. June rolled her eyes, but Arcee grinned and shook her head. "Can you fly, Ratchet?" she asked. He glanced at his wing, which was a bit torn and bloody, but seemed to be scabbing over. He shook his head. "I think I'll walk for now."

Arcee nodded, then started picking her way down the mountain. "I guess it's no use climbing the rest of the way up, then," she sighed. June groaned. "So we walked all the way up there for nothing?"

"It would seem so," Ratchet muttered as he limped next to her, his injured wing held gingerly in the air; folding it was painful. June glanced at him. "You should get those scratches looked at," she said gently. "They could get infected." Ratchet nodded in understanding, but where was he going to get medical attention? As far as he knew, there were no human medical supplies in what they called the "wilderness".

* * *

By the time they arrived back at the meeting point, everyone else had already arrived. Optimus glanced at Ratchet with worry in his eyes, but Ratchet shook his head, asking the Prime not to worry about it.

Arcee growled when she caught sight of Shockwave, Predaking, and Laserbeak standing next to Optimus, and Predaking returned the growl with a roar of his own. Shockwave snapped at him, causing the larger wolf to quiet down immediately.

Wheeljack trotted up to Ratchet and sniffed his wing. "What happened to you, Doc?" he asked. Ratchet rolled his eyes at the nickname, but Arcee answered for him.

"We kind of got held up by Megatron and his lieutenants."

Laserbeak seemed to perk up at that, and he looked at Arcee hopefully. She scowled at him, and he immediately crouched lower on Predaking's back, teeth bared defensively.

"Ah, I see you have found our missing companions."

Optimus glanced up as Megatron and Soundwave landed on either side of Wheeljack, causing him to growl and back away from them cautiously, but Knockout and Starscream came up behind him and blocked his escape.

Ultra Magnus narrowed his eyes and bared his teeth at Megatron. "What do you want?" he said carefully. Megatron grinned, then signaled to Starscream and Knockout, who leapt forward and pinned Wheeljack to the ground. "Careful, Magnus, you don't want your fellow Wrecker to get hurt, do you?" he chastised.

Wheeljack grunted and tried to push the Decepticons off him, but they wouldn't budge. Optimus walked forward until he was nose to nose with Megatron. "Your lead scientist has a suggestion that I think you should hear," he snarled lowly. Megatron raised his eyebrows at Shockwave, who gave a silent bob of his head.

"My liege, it is most beneficial to us if we team up with the Autobots temporarily, for they may very well hold the key to restoring us to our original forms." Megatron glanced at Optimus, who held his gaze steadily, then finally sighed. "Very well, Shockwave." He then turned to his rival. "_Temporary_ alliance. Understand, Prime?"

Optimus nodded, then turned his head and pointedly looked at Wheeljack. Megatron got the hint, and ordered his lieutenants to release the Wrecker, who leapt up and began to charge them, but Optimus reached out and grabbed his tail, halting him in his tracks. Wheeljack grudgingly followed his orders and trotted over to Bulkhead, who nudged him comfortingly.

Ratchet limped over to Optimus. "It's getting dark, perhaps we should rest." He gestured to June and the other "humans", who were practically asleep on their feet, despite getting rest earlier in the day. Optimus nodded. "Very well, old friend." Before the medic could leave though, Optimus called him back. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," Ratchet answered, glaring at the Prime, who cocked his head, but finally nodded. "Get some rest."

Ratchet slowly made his way back to the tree he had woken up in and curled up beneath it. He suddenly felt something else lay down beside him, but he was too weary to open his eyes and see who it was.

Wheeljack collapsed next to Bulkhead and snuggled into the grass, which was surprisingly soft. Bulkhead rolled onto his back and fell asleep like that, while Miko draped herself over his belly, paws dangling over Wheeljack's ears, making them twitch like mad. He finally huffed and stood up, fed up with the annoyance.

He carefully padded over to Arcee and lay down a few meters from her, not wanting to invade her personal space. She cracked open an eye and regarded him for a moment, before sighing and going back to sleep. The Wrecker smirked a bit before closing his own eyes and letting sleep claim him.

* * *

**AN: Yes, it's true! I support Wheelcee! 3 Anyway...I wonder who lay down next to Ratch? Feel free to guess, if you want! ^^ Feel free to critique, comment, compliment, etc. Again, flames will be used to torture/melt/roast Pharma. =]**


	3. Hunted

**AN: Hey, guys! Welcome to the next chapter of Wild Nature! Enjoy. :3 I'm in Yellowstone right now, and I have to say, it is amazing! This is my fourth year coming and we haven't seen any wolves yet, but there are seven pups out and about where we are, so we're hoping we'll see something. We've seen bison, a cinnamon black bear, and a fox though. ^^**

* * *

_He was walking through a dark forest; the trees waved back and forth, whispering their secrets to him alone. The wind howled through the bare branches of the dead trees, warning him to turn back. Should he? No...he felt like there was something he had to do._

_Smokescreen continued down the path, ears flattened against his head, which hung low. His tail tucked loosely between his legs as he plodded forward. Suddenly he came upon a small cabin, just sitting there. The door was wide open, and there was a faint light coming from within. Smokescreen entered cautiously, ears now perked and swiveling to catch any noise that would alert him of someone else's presence._

_When he finally got close to the light, he could see that it was a small device with a little red button near the bottom. He reached out and was about to push the button when the light suddenly grew blindingly bright, and everything disappeared with a flash._

* * *

Smokescreen gasped as he awoke, panting heavily. He looked around the meadow to see that everyone was still asleep. Fireflies floated in the air, but he paid them no mind. The dream still remained in his head as if it was a memory, but what did it mean?

He stood and shook his fur out, then walked over to Ratchet and prodded him gently, but the medic didn't wake up. June lay curled up next to him, her back touching his folded wings. Smokescreen chuckled a bit as he watched him, but couldn't hide his snickers when June suddenly rolled over and clutched one of Ratchet's wings, hugging it to her chest.

Suddenly Ratchet cracked his eyes open and glared up at Smokescreen, who immediately shut his jaws and grinned sheepishly. "Uh, Ratch?"

"Yes?"

"I...had a dream."

"Everyone does," Ratchet growled with a roll of his eyes.

"No, I mean, it was...different," Smokescreen protested.

Ratchet smirked at him. "You sure are unique, Smokescreen. Not many are the children of Destiny."

Smokescreen narrowed his eyes and frowned at the medic's unusual behavior. Finally Ratchet sighed.

"Alright, what did you dream about?"

Smokescreen began to explain his dream, and by the time he had finished, Ratchet looked at him with surprise. "That device...that's the thing that changed us into these organic canine creatures," he said thoughtfully. "It must be inside a cabin in the forest," he suggested, gesturing to the dark forest that Wheeljack, Bulkhead, and Miko had explored earlier, and where Predaking, Shockwave, and Laserbeak had been found.

Smokescreen nodded, his eyelids drooping wearily as he realized just how early it really was. He bid his goodbye to Ratchet before going back to his sleeping spot and curling up. Ratchet watched him for a moment, then tucked his head back under his wing and closed his eyes tiredly.

* * *

"Medic! I require your assistance!"

Ratchet opened his eyes and glared up at the nuisance: Starscream. "What do you need?" he asked grouchily. It had been hard for him to fall asleep last night after Smokescreen woke him up, so he was extremely grumpy this morning.

"I need you to...teach me how to fly."

"Really? You need _me_ to teach _you_ how _fly_?" Ratchet chuckled at the thought. "You need me, a medical officer who hasn't had his wings for orns, to teach you, a Decepticon air commander? The thought is absurd!"

Starscream glared at Ratchet. "I know how to fly just fine...as a bot. In this organic body with these...limbs, I don't know what to do!"

Ratchet finally stood up and shook his coat out, making sure he didn't disturb June, then trotted over to Starscream and smirked in a cocky manner. "Alright, _Screamy_, I'll teach you, but you have to do everything I say. Got it?"

Starscream nodded quickly. "Yes, yes. Just show me what to do!"

"I will once we start moving. I believe Smokescreen is telling Optimus and Megatron about the strange dream he had last night. Hopefully they will believe him. We should be off soon."

Starscream groaned, but finally trudged away to stand by Knockout, who smirked at him when he saw the former Seeker's wing predicament.

When they finally headed towards the forest, Starscream and Ratchet walked at the very back. Ratchet began explaining the different maneuvers to Starscream; how to turn, dive, hover, etc. when Starscream suddenly butted in.

"Can't you just _show_ me?"

Ratchet rolled his eyes. "If a certain Decepticon medic hadn't _torn_ my _wing_, I might, but since I can't fly at the moment..." he trailed off, glaring at Knockout, who had turned around and was now grinning abashedly. "My bad," he muttered.

After a few hours of traveling, the pack finally stopped for a rest. While they did have the shape and blood of wolves, they had not built up endurance like them, especially the humans.

Ratchet decided to try out his wings. Luckily, the wound hadn't gotten infected, and the tear was sealing up quite nicely. He and Starscream broke away from the group and padded to a little overhang, protruding over a small field surrounded by shrubs and trees. Dandelions grew in small patches, as well as little spots of clover.

Ratchet backed up against a large oak tree and readied his wings, then took a running start at the cliff. When he reached the edge, he leapt off and spread his wings, the updraft boosting him high in the sky.

Starscream watched with his jaws open in surprise, before he finally decided to try it himself. He ran forward and leapt off the rock, spreading his wings, but the updraft didn't catch him. He felt himself start to plummet into the grass below, when something caught him. Glancing to his right, he saw Ratchet steadying him with one of his wings. "Thanks," he muttered. Ratchet rolled his eyes, then grinned at him.

"Rookie."

"Hey!"

Suddenly Ratchet cringed and gently lowered himself to the ground. He folded his uninjured wing, then turned his head and examined the other. "Scrap," he growled as he realized it had begun to bleed again. "Perhaps that wasn't the brightest idea."

He turned and looked back, but the pack was out of sight now. They had really flown a long way. He faced Starscream and frowned. "We'll have to walk back, my wing won't carry me in the state it's in right now."

Starscream nodded, then started back towards the meadow they had previously practiced over. Ratchet followed, holding his wing gingerly against his side and flinching every few steps.

* * *

When they finally got back to the pack, they realized that everyone had been looking for them. Optimus looked at Ratchet inquiringly, and Megatron snarled at Starscream.

"I was teaching Starscream how to fly," Ratchet said.

Miko giggled. "Doesn't he know how?" Starscream turned and growled at her, and she immediately hid behind Bulkhead, who glared at Starscream threateningly. Miko stuck her tongue out at the air commander, but he just rolled his eyes and slunk away.

As the group continued along the trail, Ratchet kept teaching Starscream the basics to flying. Suddenly Wheeljack, who was acting as the sentry, let out a warning growl. Soundwave glanced up, then nudged Laserbeak, who leapt into the air and began scanning the forest below for any signs of danger. He let out a yelp as something whizzed past his ear and hit a tall fir tree behind him, splitting the wood and putting a scar on the trunk. The small wolf dove down and whispered in Soundwave's ear, who then approached Megatron and quietly told him what the miniature wolf had seen.

"Hunters," Optimus growled. He had no doubt that they would not hesitate to shoot one of the wolves if they got the chance. He was about to turn around and warn the rest of the pack, when a sharp bark of pain came from the back of the group.

Wheeljack had gotten his paw stuck in a large, clawed trap that was tethered to the ground. Bulkhead quickly whirled around and sprinted back to his friend, looking at the trap worriedly.

The Prime's eyes widened anxiously. They couldn't afford to stop! But Wheeljack was a fellow Autobot, they couldn't abandon their own! What to do, what to do? Ultra Magnus glanced at him, and, noticing his inner battle, finally offered to stay with Wheeljack.

"Sir, the Wreckers and I will remain with Wheeljack. We can drive the hunters away and try to get his paw unstuck. You must go on ahead and attempt to find the device that will fix us." Optimus glanced at his lieutenant, then sighed in resignation and nodded. "Very well, Commander."

Magnus nodded, then turned back and approached Bulkhead and Wheeljack. Miko and Arcee had stopped as well, and Magnus noticed Smokescreen following them to Wheeljack's side.

Said Wrecker currently had his muzzle buried in his other front paw – the one that wasn't stuck – and a grimace on his face. Arcee sniffed at the chain buried in the ground. Perhaps there was a way to get Wheeljack free?

Bulkhead lay next to his friend comfortingly, tail laying over his back in a friendly gesture. Ultra Magnus and Smokescreen stood guard, eyes scanning the forest surrounding them, awaiting the hunters.

Miko frowned and paced; she had read stories where wolves had to chew their own paws off to get free! What would Wheeljack do? She knew he was a Wrecker, but would he really do something that extreme? What if he never got it back? Magnus already had to live without his hand, at least before the transformation, as Miko had dubbed it. She buried her head in her paws and whimpered. Why had she pressed that button? What if it had blown up the world? What if it had killed every organic creature on Earth? What if–

"Miko, are you alright?"

She glanced over at Bulkhead, who regarded her with concern. She nodded, then dropped her head back into her paws. He stared at her for a moment more, before laying his head down next to Wheeljack's, who had closed his eyes and was trying to block out the pain. Bulkhead nudged his friend's muzzle comfortingly, then wearily watched the forest ahead of him for any dangers.

* * *

Finally the hunters came. With their guns and knives, they brutally attacked the wolves. Miko crouched beside Wheeljack, pressing herself against his flank and hoping none of the hunters saw her. Arcee tugged at the chain in the ground, but it wouldn't budge.

Magnus, Bulkhead, and Smokescreen growled and defended the others from the hunters. Bulkhead, being the largest, took one of them down almost immediately. The human screamed and ran away, but its companions remained behind.

Smokescreen jumped on one, but it started whirling around, trying to shake him off. Luckily, Bulkhead jumped up and knocked it to the ground, snarling in its face before letting it up and watching it flee the scene.

Magnus circled the last one, who appeared to be the leader of the group. He was larger, tougher, and looked a lot meaner. He shot a few times at Magnus' paws, just barely missing him. The human was so focused on Magnus, however, that he did not notice Bulkhead and Smokescreen. They leapt onto his back, forcing him to the ground. He rolled over and fired a couple shots, but froze when another human suddenly ran up and placed a pistol to his temple.

"Don't move."

Bulkhead, Magnus, and Smokescreen all backed up, growling at the intruders. The hunter narrowed his eyes, but finally unloaded all of the bullets from his rifle and slung it over his back. The other human removed his pistol and stepped back, watching the hunter as he hiked away.

When the human turned to the wolves, they growled lightly, but he held his hand out in a friendly gesture and put the pistol in a scabbard of sorts on a belt around his waist. Slowly approaching the wolves, he inched past them and knelt down beside the trap that Wheeljack was caught in. He fiddled around with it for a while, before finally getting it open.

Wheeljack snatched his paw away and attempted to leap up, but as soon as his injured paw touched the ground he whimpered and sank back to his belly. The human looked at him sympathetically, then approached the Wrecker and took something out of his backpack. It looked to be a gauze of sorts, or a bandage. He gently grabbed Wheeljack's paw and started to wrap the fabric around it, ignoring the other wolves that were now watching him with interest.

Then the human lifted Wheeljack and started half-carrying him away, continuing to ignore the wolves. Finally Magnus started following, beckoning to the others to accompany him. Bulkhead ran up and walked beside Wheeljack, who just shrugged and limped alongside the human, who had attached a rope around his neck, with part of it in his hand to keep the Wrecker from running.

* * *

The human finally stopped at a small cabin, and Smokescreen gasped. He leaned over to Magnus, "Sir, this is the house from my dream." Magnus looked at him, then glanced back up at the cabin. "Perhaps this is where the device is," he said thoughtfully.

Suddenly another human hurried out of the house and embraced the male. She then knelt down beside Wheeljack and patted his head gently. Taking the rope from the man's hands, she led Wheeljack inside. The others started to follow, but the man stopped them. He started to herd them toward a fenced in grassy area. Miko frowned at being confined, but she knew that they had to stick together as much as possible.

Inside the house, Wheeljack finally got to explore. He sniffed around, looking for any sign of the device. Ratchet had explained to everyone exactly what the device looked like, so he knew what he was looking for.

Suddenly something in the back of the room caught his eye. Wheeljack crept closer, and when he was close enough, he realized it was the device! Just as he was about to grab it, though, a hand grabbed the rope collar around his neck and dragged him back.

"Don't touch that! It could hurt you."

He glanced back and saw the human female looking at him worriedly. Huffing and frowning, he turned around and sulked away. He would have to steal the device.

* * *

That night, as the humans were slumbering, Wheeljack crept up to where the device had been, but it was gone! Glancing up, he noticed that the humans had placed it high on a shelf. Fortunately, the kitchen counter was right below the shelf, but how would he get up there?

When he looked around, he noticed a small stepstool to his right. Perfect! He pushed it over to the counter, then jumped up on top of it. Scrabbling at the counter, he finally managed to pull himself up. Now all he had to do was reach his head up and grab the device. Standing on his hind legs and placing his forepaws on some cabinets, he craned his neck and managed to snag the device with his teeth. Unfortunately, he was just a bit too short, and it fell to the floor with a crash, soon followed by Wheeljack himself as he lost his balance.

Suddenly the lights flicked on in the humans' bedroom. Wheeljack struggled to his feet and grabbed the device, then bolted to the door. He burst through the dog door and into the cool night air, the device dangling from his jaws. Trotting over to the fence, he nudged open the gate and gave a short bark to alert the others.

Magnus was the first to wake up. He looked up at Wheeljack in surprise, then at the device. After nudging the others awake, they all ran from the cabin. Faintly, Wheeljack could hear the humans yelling after them, but he didn't care. They needed to get back to the others!

A sharp bolt of pain went up his paw, and Wheeljack stumbled to a halt, the device dropping from his jaws and tumbling away. He snarled and gingerly lifted his paw, noticing that it had started to bleed, and was now soaking through the bandage.

Miko yelped and hared after the device. Up ahead she could see a swift-running river, and the very thing she was chasing being carried away by the current.

"No!"

She slid to a halt and watched sadly as the device got farther and farther from her reach. How would they ever get back to normal now?

* * *

How long had they been traveling now? That was what Jack was wondering. After leaving the Wreckers and Arcee behind, they had continued through the forest, looking for the cabin.

"Stop!"

The cry rang out through the group, and Jack, who was at the back, immediately halted and tried to see what had made them stopped. Slowly trotting past the rest of the wolves and coming to the front, he saw it was a body of water: a huge, shimmering lake. Scrap.

Optimus glanced at Megatron uncertainly, who was frowning at the water in annoyance.

"Someone will have to fly across," Optimus suggested. Megatron nodded, then turned around and glared at Starscream.

"Starscream, you will fly across the lake."

"What?" Starscream whined. "I can barely keep myself in the air!"

Optimus started to interrupt, "Perhaps I should–"

"No, Optimus. We need you and Megatron here to keep everyone else together. I'll go," Ratchet offered as he stepped forward. Optimus glanced at his torn wing. "What about that?"

Ratchet sighed. "I'll manage. Maybe Starscream should accompany me. I can keep him in the air, and he can make sure I don't strain my wing too much."

Optimus looked over at Starscream, who shrugged. "I suppose." He glanced at Megatron, who nodded, then finally turned to Ratchet and gave a single nod of his head. "Very well, but if you have any trouble, you must come back. Understand?"

"Yes."

Ratchet beckoned to Starscream, then eyed the lake, judging how far he would have to run to get a good updraft. Finally, he ran up to the shore and leapt off, beating his wings and propelling himself high in the sky. He was soon followed by Starscream, who had soon gotten himself in the air right next to the medic.

They flew for about an hour before Ratchet felt himself sinking as the pain in his wing grew more and more intense. He cringed when he realized there was no land in sight. Starscream glanced at him worriedly, then slowly sidled up to him and placed one of his own wings beneath Ratchet's injured one, temporarily supporting him as they glided right above the water, causing a spray of liquid to blow up in their faces. Ratchet rolled his eyes in amusement when Starscream laughed as water got in his mouth, quenching his mild thirst.

Finally they reached the other shore. It had taken a shorter time than Ratchet had expected, but he was still tired nonetheless. Collapsing on the shore, he shut his eyes and was about to fall asleep when Starscream poked his side.

"Medic, what is that?"

Ratchet growled and opened his eyes. "First, my name is not 'Medic', it is 'Ratchet'." He stood up and walked to where Starscream was pointing with his muzzle. As he lowered his head, he realized it was a scaled down version of the original device. But where had it come from? He laughed and whirled around, grabbing Starscream in a hug of sorts. "Starscream, you're a genius!"

"Well, finally someone realizes that–"

"We can finally return to normal!"

Starscream rolled his eyes as Ratchet fell back to four paws and grabbed the device. "But we'll need everyone to be together," he muttered around the thing in his mouth. He spat it out, then unfurled his wings, wincing when the injured one stretched his wound. While before, he had thought that it was healing, it became clear that the injury was only getting worse. Fragging 'Con medic, he thought to himself in frustration. It was obvious that he would not be able to fly back across the lake.

Meanwhile, Starscream had grabbed the device gently and was awaiting directions. Ratchet padded up to him.

"Starscream, you're going to have to fly back on your own–" he started, but Starscream interrupted.

"What? I can barely stay in the air! I need your help!"

"No, you don't! You didn't need my help at all on the way here."

"Well, I–"

"I _can't fly_, Starscream," Ratchet snarled, causing the air commander to flinch back and look at the ground uncertainly. Finally he nodded. "Fine."

"Good, now go!"

Starscream turned around, cast one more look at the grounded medic, then leapt into the air and flew away.

Little did Ratchet know, he was being watched.

* * *

**AN: Ooh! Cliffhanger! I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! ^^ Hmm...this chapter was about 1,500 words longer than the ones I usually write. Yay for me! XD**


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